A Serious Man Trailer Looks Pretty Good, Seriously

Outside of possibly Woody Allen, it's difficult to find more prolific filmmakers than Joel and Ethan Coen. Their latest film, A Serious Man, is the seventh they've shot and released this decade. However, with this film, they have chosen to eschew working with any of the Hollywood A-listers (George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, et al.) who have been populating their work ever since the two finally gained critical and commercial success with Fargo back in 1996. Instead, the weight of this film is being carried by the up-and-coming actor Michael Stuhlbarg, who plays a Midwestern college professor whose life begins unraveling when his wife asks for a divorce and his university refuses to grant him tenure. Unlike almost every other trailer being released these days, this brilliantly cut piece focuses its energy on establishing mood rather than spoiling plot points. After the sloppy and oftentimes incoherent mess that was Burn After Reading, this project certainly looks to be a return to form for the Coen Brothers.

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